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Backspace Key as Back Button in Safari 12 and above

bogdanw

bogdanw

macrumors 603
Original poster
Mar 10, 2009
6,260
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After updating to macOS 10.14.4 with Safari 12.1, the backspace key doesn't seem to work as back button anymore. I have tried with defaults write com.apple.Safari com.apple.Safari.ContentPageGroupIdentifier.WebKit2BackspaceKeyNavigationEnabled -bool YES and Onyx/Deeper, but with no luck. If anyone finds a solution, please share it.
 
Backspace deletes text. To my knowledge it has never served as a back button in a web browser. That would be very confusing.

Edit: Wow. Apparently some browsers used that. It seems they are getting wiser, though, and removing the "feature". Did you use a Safari extension to get that behavior? You may have also changed the key behavior in System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts.
 
Last edited:
chabig said:
Backspace deletes text. To my knowledge it has never served as a back button in a web browser. That would be very confusing.

Edit: Wow. Apparently some browsers used that. It seems they are getting wiser, though, and removing the "feature". Did you use a Safari extension to get that behavior?
Click to expand...

Long ago (prior to 2012?) I believe Safari exhibited this behavior.
 
chabig said:
Backspace deletes text. To my knowledge it has never served as a back button in a web browser. That would be very confusing.

Edit: Wow. Apparently some browsers used that. It seems they are getting wiser, though, and removing the "feature". Did you use a Safari extension to get that behavior?
Click to expand...

It's actually quite common on other OS's. I've used it for years with the FireFox browser. When in use, if you have an open browser, with no text fields selected, it serves as a quick back button. Safari might be configurable for this, I don't know, I've never tired and don't use it anymore since switching exclusively to macOS for browsing.
 
You can use keymapping programs like Keyboard Maestro to remap keys as you wish even from one program to another, but I'd have to agree with others who are horrified at the idea of a destructive backspace being used as a "go back" key. It just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Like let's say you're typing in a reply on MacRumors and you mean to delete the last word you typed, but you accidentally unselected the text box... ooops, goodbye message.

I have other keys mapped in ways to allow me to go back with just my left hand on the keyboard. I use CTRL-A with the Caps Lock key mapped to the CTRL key.
 
Old solution works
Code: 
defaults write com.apple.Safari NSUserKeyEquivalents -dict-add Back "\U232b"
If primary language of macOS is other than English, the text Back has to be replaced with the translated one from Safari.
 
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bogdanw said:
Old solution works
Code: 
defaults write com.apple.Safari NSUserKeyEquivalents -dict-add Back "\U232b"
If primary language of macOS is other than English, the text Back has to be replaced with the translated one from Safari.
Click to expand...

Pointing out that doing it THAT way removes ⌘[ and replaces it with ⌫. That may be acceptable for you, or it may not.
 
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Catalina seems to have stopped this working for me.
Anybody any ideas? I HATE using ⌘[....
thanks.
 
Paul Franklin said:
Catalina seems to have stopped this working for me.
Anybody any ideas? I HATE using ⌘[....
thanks.
Click to expand...
This solution is still working for me in 10.15.4
Code: 
defaults write com.apple.Safari NSUserKeyEquivalents -dict-add Back "\U232b"
 
Weird, I can't get it to work. Have also got 10.15.4.
Pasted it in Terminal, hit enter...
Screenshot 2020-04-07 17.02.44.png


Restarted Safari etc... Have I missed something?
cheers
 
I've never used the Develop menu. Doesn't seem to help!
How annoying. Rebooted, nothing is working... *Cries*
 
Paul Franklin said:
I've never used the Develop menu. Doesn't seem to help!
How annoying. Rebooted, nothing is working... *Cries*
Click to expand...
I've just tested on a new Catalina installation and you are right, it doesn't work only with that command. You have to modify another file too. So, the new solution is
Code: 
defaults write com.apple.Safari NSUserKeyEquivalents -dict-add Back "\U232b"
defaults write ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.plist NSUserKeyEquivalents -dict-add Back "\U232b"
 
Hmmm:
"Could not write domain /Users/paulwfranklin/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.plist; exiting"

Am I missing a folder?
 
Nope, it's still saying 'Could not write domain...'

It was working fine before upgrade. Don't think I've changed anything major since. Hmmf!
 
Paul Franklin said:
Nope, it's still saying 'Could not write domain...'
It was working fine before upgrade. Don't think I've changed anything major since. Hmmf!
Click to expand...
One more try... back-up then delete ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.plist
run defaults write ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.plist NSUserKeyEquivalents -dict-add Back "\U232b"
to force it to be recreated with that value inside.
If this doesn't work, I'm out of ideas :)
 
Paul Franklin said:
Just to be clear, when you say 'back-up then delete...' ?
Click to expand...
Save a copy on your Dektop, just in case
Code: 
cp ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.plist ~/Desktop/com.apple.Safari.plist
then delete it
Code: 
rm ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.plist
and recreate it
Code: 
defaults write ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.plist NSUserKeyEquivalents -dict-add Back "\U232b"
 
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